2002 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
Encyclopedia
The 2002 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
took place at Madison Square Garden
in New York City
. Its winner received the Big East Conference
's automatic bid
to the 2002 NCAA Tournament
. It is a single-elimination tournament
with four rounds and the two highest seeds in each division received byes
in the first round. The 6 teams with the best conference records in each division were invited to participate for a total of twelve teams. Teams were seeded by division. Connecticut
and Pittsburgh had the best regular season conference records and received the East #1 seed and West #1 seed, respectively.
Connecticut defeated Pittsburgh in the championship game 74–65 in double overtime to win their fifth Big East Tournament championship.
, the tournament MVP, gave Connecticut the lead for good at 66–64 on a turnaround jumper with 1:59 left in the second overtime, and Pittsburgh fell to the Huskies in two overtimes, 74–65. After Ben Gordon was tied up with two seconds left on the shot clock, Taliek Brown put up a desperation heave from about thirty feet away with the shot clock running down to put the Huskies up 69–64, and they never looked back.
Brandin Knight
had a chance to win it for Pittsburgh at the end of the first overtime. After slipping and injuring his right knee, just as they tied the game at 52, Knight was clearly in pain. However, with 1.7 seconds left in OT, he checked in to the game and put up a 40-foot 3-point attempt that would have won the game. It bounced off the rim and the game went to double OT.
Knight's eight assists
tied him at 229 for the school record in a season. He had fifteen points in the loss. Ontario Lett, who tied the game with 23 seconds left in overtime, had 17 in the loss.
Butler finished with 23 points for Uconn in the win, while Brown added 13. It was the fifth Big East Tournament championship for the Huskies, their last coming in 1999
, when they went on to win the national championship
. It was their sixth title game appearance in the last eight years. The game was the second-longest title game in league history. Syracuse beat Villanova 83–80 in three overtimes in 1981
.
, Connecticut
All Tournament Team
Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is the conference championship tournament in men's basketball for the Big East Conference. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. Since 1983, the tournament has been held in Madison Square...
took place at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Its winner received the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
's automatic bid
Automatic bid
Automatic bid is a term generally used to describe a bid or berth to a tournament, granted based on performance in prior competition, and not based on subjective picking...
to the 2002 NCAA Tournament
2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 2002, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Atlanta, Georgia...
. It is a single-elimination tournament
Single-elimination tournament
A single-elimination tournament, also called a knockout, cup or sudden death tournament, is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match or bracket is immediately eliminated from winning the championship or first prize in the event...
with four rounds and the two highest seeds in each division received byes
Bye (sports)
A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
in the first round. The 6 teams with the best conference records in each division were invited to participate for a total of twelve teams. Teams were seeded by division. Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
and Pittsburgh had the best regular season conference records and received the East #1 seed and West #1 seed, respectively.
Connecticut defeated Pittsburgh in the championship game 74–65 in double overtime to win their fifth Big East Tournament championship.
Bracket
Championship Game
Caron ButlerCaron Butler
James Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played at small forward for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.-Early life:...
, the tournament MVP, gave Connecticut the lead for good at 66–64 on a turnaround jumper with 1:59 left in the second overtime, and Pittsburgh fell to the Huskies in two overtimes, 74–65. After Ben Gordon was tied up with two seconds left on the shot clock, Taliek Brown put up a desperation heave from about thirty feet away with the shot clock running down to put the Huskies up 69–64, and they never looked back.
Brandin Knight
Brandin Knight
Brandin Adar Knight is a former American professional basketball player. He is the brother of Brevin Knight....
had a chance to win it for Pittsburgh at the end of the first overtime. After slipping and injuring his right knee, just as they tied the game at 52, Knight was clearly in pain. However, with 1.7 seconds left in OT, he checked in to the game and put up a 40-foot 3-point attempt that would have won the game. It bounced off the rim and the game went to double OT.
Knight's eight assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
tied him at 229 for the school record in a season. He had fifteen points in the loss. Ontario Lett, who tied the game with 23 seconds left in overtime, had 17 in the loss.
Butler finished with 23 points for Uconn in the win, while Brown added 13. It was the fifth Big East Tournament championship for the Huskies, their last coming in 1999
1999 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1999 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Its winner received the Big East Conference's automatic bid to the 1999 NCAA Tournament. It is a single-elimination tournament with four rounds and the three highest seeds received byes in the first...
, when they went on to win the national championship
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
. It was their sixth title game appearance in the last eight years. The game was the second-longest title game in league history. Syracuse beat Villanova 83–80 in three overtimes in 1981
1981 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1981 Big East Men's Basketball Tournament took place at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, NY. It is a single-elimination tournament with three rounds...
.
Awards
Dave Gavitt Trophy (Most Valuable Player): Caron ButlerCaron Butler
James Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played at small forward for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.-Early life:...
, Connecticut
All Tournament Team
- Marcus Barnes, Miami
- Caron ButlerCaron ButlerJames Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played at small forward for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.-Early life:...
, Connecticut - Ben Gordon, Connecticut
- Brandin KnightBrandin KnightBrandin Adar Knight is a former American professional basketball player. He is the brother of Brevin Knight....
, Pittsburgh - Ontario Lett, Pittsburgh
- Chris ThomasChris Thomas (basketball)Chris Thomas is a Polish-American professional basketball player who is an alumnus of Pike High School and the University of Notre Dame.-Personal:...
, Notre Dame